Patchwork and Quilting in Britain (Shire Library)

Patchwork quilts are hugely evocative emblems of our domestic past. With no two quite the same, each example hints at both the story of the particular household in which it was  produced and at a larger piece of social history. But quilting is by no means only historical, with the craft seeing a huge revival in popularity in recent years, and items that were once made for purely utilitarian and practical reasons are now produced and appreciated for the connection they afford us to a rich vein of heritage and nostalgia. Illustrated with a stunning range of examples from Quilter's Guild Collection -of which the author is the curator-this book is a wonderful introduction to a hugely important aspect of British domestic history.

Heather Audin has been curator of the Quilter's Guild Collection of historic and contemporary quilts since the opening of The Quilt Museum and Gallery in 2008. Prior to this she worked with the costume and textiles collection at Hull Museums.